A minimum of seven individuals lost their lives and many others are lost after a craft ferrying approximately two hundred migrants trying to get to the European continent capsized off the coast of the Gambian coast, officials state.
The vessel capsized on Wednesday midnight near the village of Jinack in the North Bank Region and it was afterwards located "stranded on a sandbar", the nation's defense ministry announced officially.
Ninety-six people have been rescued so far and a hunt is ongoing for the remaining passengers who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was heading towards the Spanish Canary Islands.
The dangerous voyage over the the Atlantic has grown into a more frequent path for African migrants attempting to get to Europe.
Close to 47,000 people reached the Canaries in the year 2024 and data indicates more than nine thousand individuals perished in the attempt.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, involving several naval vessels and a fishing vessel that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their nationalities are still under confirmation.
The deceased of the seven people who drowned were found, and 10 of those rescued are said to be in critical condition and getting immediate medical attention.
A Frequent Pathway
Gambia is one of the routes taken by migrants trying to reach European countries, often on dangerous journeys by sea and land.
Recently, the European Union has established pacts with multiple North African nations designed to reducing undocumented migration.
